Washing-machine



L. L. BARRON, H B WOLKEN AND F. J. FELKER. WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICAHON FILED SEPT. 7. 1920.

1,369,87 Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

l l I I I l l I l I I I I I other volatile liquid; whereby the goods or 'cordance with our invention, .7

' Fig. 2 is a vertical'cross-section V of the same, taken on the line 2 -2 of Fig; 1. j

Fig. 3 is an enlargedinverted plan-vlew'of LE L. naRRoitirAnnY B.woLK-nN, Ai nrariin* J. rnnirna, oF'sT; Lofiigjm fi WJ sHiNG-MAGHINE. i

; A plication filcd'september 7,1920. SeriaLN. 409,537:

To allwkom 2'25 mag concern: T V V Be it known that we, LEO BARRON, HARRY B; WOLKL'N, and FRANK. J. FEnKnR,

citizensofthe United States, residing at St.

Louis, hlissouri=,.hav;e invented certain new and useful-Improvements 1n Washing-Machines,of which the following is a specification containing a full, 'clear,' and'exact; description, reference being had to the-accompanying hereof.

Ourinvention consistsfin the-novel disclosure and construction hereinafter particularly described anddistinctly-claimed.

The object of ourinvention lS tOPIOYKlB an improved apparatus for washing clothes in water, and cleaning clothes. 1n gasolene or clothes being cleaned or washedwill lie-sub jected to a vacuum or suction: action, a squeezing action, and a forcing act1on,l all while the 'cl'oth'esare in the water orother g V said strips, as shown more clearly in-Fig: 35-

cleansing liquid, to the end that the clothes will be harmed. g V V A. further ob ect" of: our invention is-i-to provide an improved washing-machine which shall accomplish {the above named ob ect rapidly, efficiently; and'at alow cost.

In the drawmgs Figure 1 is a verticallongitudinal sect on of a washing machine constructed in acone of the plun'gersof the machine, and] Fig. lisa detail side-elevation of the hollow partition which separates the two clotheschambers, and yet provides a clearwaterpassagefrom-one chamber to the other, at the V lower-edge of said partition, and at the bottom ofsa'id clothes chambers.

The numeral 1 designatesiatub, which may be made of sheet-metal, of wood, or

partly of metal and partly of wood, of any desired dimensions, to suit the designer, and to meet the requ rementsof' the quantlty of clothes to lee-washed at a-time.

Said tub 1 is mounted, in the preisent'illu stration of our invention-, upon a su table-rec-v tangular frame 2. v

Any common form of a cover 3, may be I provided for the top of the said tub.

The tub 1 is divided by a hollow sheetmetal partition 4 into two clothes-chambers Speciificationnf Letters Patent. P tfit of .one of said drawings,.. forming a part "cerned) quickly and thoroughly cleansed 1111- movement; p v

Apertures are'formed in the bottom ofthe T during-the washing-or cleaning operation-f but said .hollow partition is constructed, as shown, soyas to provide a] series of unob structed water-passages 7 beneath the body of said partition, extending from the bottom f other, .so. that (asfar as the water is conthe water may. pass freely. from one chamber to the other, and back again, as often as the plungers move up and-down in" said chambers.

Mounted in each of the clothes chambers 5' aoove the clothes, is .aplunger .8, which fits I tron ain; a vertical-position in the tub, said strips being soldered or otherwise-secured to the verticalwalls of the-tub andlpartition. The said plungers may. be moved up; and

;;down in anydesired manner," or by any approved means, either from the top of the machine, or from beneath thetub, whichlat-- ter construction we have-hereinshown; and in which'a commonfor-m of electric-motor 12 is mountedfupon a platform 14:,in the spacebeneath the tubfl and connectedby means of a pinion 15 toa gear wheel lti, for

the purpose stated. I

Vertical plunger-rods 17 I pass upwardly and downwardly through vertical water-- clothes QIS into the and 6,,to forclbly'move up and down therein "the. vertical walls .of the'chambers at its 7 p 7'5v g strips 10 upon t'hebottight chambers- 19 formed in the said hollow partition 4, at po nt near the 'center oflthe length of the latter,' and the top and bottom of said plunger-rod chambers 19 are fitted with covers 'orc'aps' 20 which areperforated for the passage of said rods, and which should be heavyenough. to act as proper bearings, to guide said rods in their vertijcal tub 1 for the passage of the said plunger-rods 17, but a water tight' joint should be formed between said bottom and the said adjacent lower ends of said plunger-rod chambers 19,

Lubricating waste 21 Surrounds and lubri cates the said plunger-rods in said chambers 19, and said waste also acts as a packing, to v prevent the passage of liquid into said chambers from the top.

For detachably connecting the plungers 8 to the said plunger-rods 17, we have shown .here an L-shaped arm 22,, the horizontal part of which is perforated near its end and clamped in position upon a bearing head 23 at the upper end of each plunger rod, by means of a common thumb-screw 24, whioh passes through the perforation of said and is threaded into the said bearing-head 23, Fig. 1. i

The shorter vertical arms of the said .L-shaped arms 22 are yieldingly connected to the top of said plungers 8,'in a proper manner, as will now be described.

Said shorter vertical arms, are tubular, and they are telescopically engaged by a vertical shank 25 rising from a base-plate 26 which is secured to the top of said plungers bymeans of screws or rivets 27, so 'thatfas the said plungers are brought down into con-' tact with the clothes, the said shank 25 will be pushed farther into the said vertical arms, until their springs 28 are compressed, there'- preventing any violent shock; said springs the ends of said vertical arms and the said base-plates 26. 7

Movement of the said shanks 25 downwardly in said tubular vertical arms of said parts 22, is limited by. a stop -pin'29 carried by said shanks and engaging the lower ends of guide-slots 30 formed in said vertical arms.

By this construction, the plungers 8 may be removed to place clothes injthe clothes chambers, "merely byjloosening and detaching said thumb-screws '24.

After the clothes have been washed or cleaned, they may be quickly removed from the clothes chambers by detaching the said thumb-screws 24. and lifting out'the said plungers. I

A common rack, or slatted or reticulated v structure, 31, is placed on the bottomsof the said clothes chambers 5 and 6, to hold the clothesoff of the bottoms of said chambers, and to allow the waterxor other cleansing liquidto pass freely beneath the clothes from one of said chambers to the other, through the saidwatenpassages 7 beneath the'said hollow partition 4; r

' The said pinion 15is fixed on the armay ture-shaft 32 of said motor 12, and a crankpin 33 is fixed to one face of the gearwheel 16.

A connecting -.rod 34 has its lower end being located on said shanks betweenmounted on said crank-pin 33 and its upper end pivoted at 35 to the lower end of the said plunger-rod 17, to reciprocate the plunger 37 which carries said gear-wheel 16 at its 7 opposite end and is mounted in a bearing at the upper end of a bracket 38 resting'upon v c said platform 14.

Another connecting-rod has its lower end mounted on a crank-pin 40 carried by the said crank-disk 36, and the upper end of said connecting-rod is pivotally-connected at 4:1 to the lower adjacent end .of the plunger-rod 17 of the plunger that operates in clothes chamber 5.

' The operation of our lnvention will be ap parent, without further description, except to call attention to the fact that the method or process of washing clothes with water, as

herein shownand described, may be used in cleaning garments with gasolene or other volatile liquids, by merely latter for water and soap.

' We claim '1 An improved washing machine, comprising two chambers a hollow partition which separates said chambers except at the bottom of the latter, wherea free and unobstructed water-passage is formed beneathsaid partition, through which the water may pass from one of said chambers to the other chamber; separate vertical water tight plunger-rod chambers located in said hollow substituting the partition at a point near the; center of the 7 length of the latter; perforated caps for the upper and lower ends of the said water-tight partition chambers; vertical plunger-rods operating through said water-tight partition 7 I chambers and their perforated caps; plungers arranged to fit :the walls, of'saidfirstmentioned chambers; L-shaped arms which connect said plungers to the upper ends of said plunger-rods; and driving-mechanism connected to the said plunger-rods, tojreciprocate the same, and thereby force sald plungers up and down alternately,-to squeeze the cleansing liquid through the clothes in one of said first-mentioned chambers, thence into and through the said water-passage beneath said hollow partition into the other one of said first-mentioned chambers, and thence back to the starting chamber. 1 V

LEO L. BARRON. HARRY B. WOLKEN. FRANK J. FELKER.

Witnesses: I 1

JOHN C. HIGDON, IDA PHILLIPS. 

